 Holst had intended the work to be performed "in the open air, or else in a small building".Its first professional performance, conducted by Arthur Bliss, was staged on 23 June 1921 at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith with Dorothy Silk in the title role, Steuart Wilson as Satyavan, and Clive Carey as Death.Holst's friend and fellow composer Ralph Vaughan Williams noted Holst's use of modal style in the opera.